Blue Lane Studios Blog

We were lucky enough to meet with Alyson and Nate last week during one of those few beautiful, cooler days we had…and what a perfect evening it was!  We walked around the University of Tampa taking advantage of the gorgeous light.  As soon as the sun set and downtown Tampa started to light up, we took a few night shots before parting ways…totally worth it!  BTW, we LOVED what they both were wearing…great job with your styling, you two!  We can’t wait for your wedding at The Vault!!

 

 

 

 

We always love to hear the stories of how our couples met, and Jordan and Andy’s is such a sweet one!  Jordan used to babysit for Andy’s nephew, Ethan.  Over time, Jordan’s mom and Ethan’s mom (Andy’s sister-in-law, Amy), started conspiring to have Jordan and Andy meet.  Once they did, the rest was history!  Since they never would have met if it weren’t for Ethan, Ethan was a huge part of their wedding day, as well.  Doesn’t he make one of the cutest little ring bearers you’ve ever seen??

Jordan and Andy decided to hold their ceremony in the beautiful Tea Garden at the Vinoy Renaissance Hotel in St Petersburg, Florida.  Jordan got ready in a beautiful suite overlooking the Tea Garden before coming downstairs to meet Andy for their first look.  (I think we caught her giving Andy bunny ears in a few shots!)  After sharing some private moments together, we were able to take our time creating their portraits as well as getting all of the bridal party and family photos done before their Ketubah signing ceremony.

After their main ceremony we took just a few more portraits then we were off to the Sunset Ballroom for their rockin’ reception!  It was SO MUCH FUN!  Everyone partied and danced late into the night, and Carolina managed to get one especially fun shot of a breakdancing guest…it’s all about being in the right place at the right time!  (And being ready for the “moment!”)

It made sense to close our post with a little note from Ethan, the one person who we could say is responsible for it all!  What a cutie!  HUGE congrats to you, Jordan and Andy!!  We hope you’re having a killer time on your honeymoon in Barbados and we feel so lucky to have met you!!

 

 

Ceremony Location: Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg, Tea Garden

Reception Venue: Vinoy Renaissance, Sunset Ballroom

Flowers: FishHawk Weddings

Videography: Voila Cinematic

DJ: RJ Vida

Gorgeous Wedding Gown: Pronovias Donostia

Ceremony and Reception Location: Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach

Flowers: DD’s Blooms

DJ: Cory Barron of Grant Hemond

Hair and Makeup: Michele Renee Hair and Makeup Artist Group

 

One thing you should know: these guys knoooow how to throw a party!

Ann Marie and Trevor’s wedding took place in late December at the Carlouel Yacht Club.  When I stepped into the Hilton for Ann Marie’s getting ready photos, I couldn’t help but appreciate what a calm, happy and stress-free environment I was stepping into.  In describing the feel of the room, I almost feel that I’ve also described Ann Marie.  Her classic elegance was evident throughout her wedding…from her choice of dress (I don’t think Trevor could’ve been happier when he first saw her coming down the aisle!) to the reception details.  And let’s not leave Trevor behind!  How dapper did he look?  I love a groom in a bowtie!

This reception was…to say the least…ridiculously FUN!  This was our first time working with The Headliners Band and what a treat – amazing vocals and stage presence!  There wasn’t a moment the dance floor was not packed.  Once the reception ended, the couple made their getaway on a beautiful yacht named “Done Deal”.  Not to shabby!

We rarely talk about the dangers surrounding wedding photography  and I feel this might be a good time to fill you in.  Picture it:  Dance floor is packed.  Band is jamming.  Shem and I are shooting the action.  I let my guard down for a slight moment and start moving my hips and lip singing to the chorus.  “I got a feeling….oohh ohhhh…that tonight’s gonna be a good night, that tonight’s gonna be a good…..” POW!  Stopped dead in my tracks by a blow to the face!  That’s right folks, someone accidentally punched me while I was singing those very appropriate lyrics.  The irony is not lost on me and apparently, fist pumping can be hazardous to my health!  Like a true professional, I took it like a champ and keep right on shooting!

Ann Marie & Trevor:  we loved working with you and your families!  Thank you again for allowing us to be a part of your day!

 

Getting Ready Location: Hilton Clearwater Beach

Ceremony Venue: Church of Ascension

Reception Venue: Carlouel Yacht and Beach Club

Flowers: Four Seasons Florals

Amazing Band: The Headliners

As photographers, we love the opportunity to see relationships blossom and families grow.  We met Daine and Luke a little over a year and a half ago when they hired us to shoot their first anniversary/Christmas photos.  We LOVED their session and really loved meeting them!  We were happy to receive an email from Daine a few weeks ago announcing that they had a new addition to the family!  Baby Liam was born almost two months before his due date  and spent almost 6 weeks in the NICU.  We are so thrilled to see this little one thriving!  He’s so strong and alert…and I’m pretty sure he now has a crush on Shem!  As I was working last night, I somehow wandered onto Pinterest (funny how that happens, huh?) and saw a quote that made me think of Baby Liam:

-big things often have small beginnings-

Rock on little man!

PS: Can I just gush about how much I love shooting babies in the studio?!  Love it!

 

 

 

Shiwani and Vrushak are an amazing couple.  So sweet, so full of joy, so talented, and so in love!  We couldn’t have been happier to be a part of their engagement ceremony at the Hindu Temple of Florida last year.  The light, laughter, joy and celebration that infused their ceremony was almost indescribable.  (And afterwards they even invited us out to lunch with their families!  That’s the kind of  people they are…you just want to be their friends!)  We don’t normally take video, but we are so glad we experimented with it on this occasion.  There was just so much going on that day…so much movement, color and energy…and we love how this blend of video and still images turned out:

And of course, we took TONS of images!  It’s a long post, but we can’t help but want to share these!  To read more about what Shiwani had to say about how she met Vrushak, check out the Shaadi Obsession blog!  Shiwani and Vrushak: congratulations to both of you!  We are SO happy to have met you and wish you every happiness, always!

 

For those of you who don’t know us (yet!), this is just a typical conversation between the two of us.  Yes, we’re kinda ridiculous.  And we love it!

 

Edit:

We decided it would be fun to show you part of how we did this!  We didn’t have a tripod…or a third person to actually TAKE the photos, so we improvised a bit!  The camera went on a light stand (no photo of that), and then we each took turns laughing hysterically at a hot light while the other took the photos!  Needless to say, we felt pretty silly, but had a blast!  Afterwards we composited the images in Photoshop and created the animation…taadaaa!  

 

 

Happy Friday, everyone!  Christina & Armando got married just last Saturday at the St Petersburg Women’s Club on the most beautiful day ever!  Here’s a little peek at the goodness to come….we can’t wait to share more, but for now this will have to do!!  Hope everyone’s weekend is amazing!

Engagement sessions are always so much fun!  This is where we get a chance to really know our couples and spend some relaxed time in a beautiful, and in this case very windy, setting!  We initially met Shelby at the Don Cesar bridal show in January.  At the time they had yet to choose a venue for their June wedding and we were thrilled to hear that they chose the Don Cesar and  even more thrilled that they asked us to capture their day!  I had a blast hanging out with these two!  So many laughs!

Shelby & Ryan:  enjoy your sneak peek!  I am so looking forward to shooting your wedding/hurricane party

 

Now it’s time to do some catching up on blogging a few weddings from this past year!  Natalie and Joe’s blog post has been a long time coming, and we’re excited to finally be sharing!   Natalie and Joe came down from Chicago last  year to hold their destination wedding at the beautiful Hyatt Regency in Clearwater Beach.  They couldn’t have planned a more gorgeous, postcard-perfect day for their beach ceremony and reception on the Sky Terrace.  (On a day like that it’s hard not to want to just put the camera down and go for a swim!)

There were so many things we loved about their wedding, we had to include tons of pics!  Some of our favorite things:  Natalie’s clutch with a piece of her mother’s wedding veil incorporated as embellishment; her silver Jimmy Choo sandals; Joe’s smile (especially at the end of the ceremony!); their first dance under the stars as the sun set over the gulf; supermoon!  (Look it up, it’s pretty cool!)

Such a great day, and a wonderful couple to spend it with!  Congrats again, you two…we’re SO happy to have met you and shared in your amazing wedding day!

 

 

 

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach

Wedding Coordinator: Ashley Succow, Events Manager at the Hyatt

DJ: Doug Decker, Grant Hemond

Bride’s Bouquet:  Debbie Welch

Hair & Makeup: Destiny and Light